In a world dominated and controlled the man, rape is just a way of asserting his power, of taking what belongs to him-her body, her thoughts and her affects are all his. Adrienne Rich uses repetition, tone, symbolism and allusion to illuminate the patriarchal and misogynistic society a woman is forced to not only survive but also thrive in.
Just from the title of the poem 'Rape ' one has a good idea of what the poem is going to be about and what they might encounter in the poem. However, on reading the poem there is only one reference to the act itself, "the maniac 's sperm still greasing your thighs" (Rich,12). Rich does a very good job at disguising the act of rape where the reader has to put the pieces together to unmask this unknown woman 's story. Throughout the poem and even in the stanzas above the author repetitively uses the word "know", she wants to draw attention of the reader and let them know this is important. Throughout the poem the word "know" has different tones according to the context. Rich uses the word
…show more content…
In conclusion, the poem "Rape" by Adrienne Rich is a riveting piece of literature that takes the reader on a journey of this unknown women 's life that leaves you full of sorrow and anger, both towards yourself and the society. When she says rape, she might not mean it as literally as one might take it in the beginning, she uses it in a more metaphorical sense than anything else. This poem brings into light issues that are still prevalent on our society, today when a woman is raped she is still asked outrageous questions, her character is still questioned, she is still blamed for wearing provocative clothes, going out late at night or drinking too much. The society might have come a long way from when Adrienne Rich wrote this poem but it still has a long way to go. It is sad to see that claims that Rich made against the patriarchy and the society as a whole almost half a decade ago are still relevant to this day and are not